Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder ---- of Someone Else
by Writerwithagoal
Summary: Caroline has had a shitty prom night. All she wanted was one night with her friends and even that was too much to ask for. Leaving earlier she goes home and cancels the post prom party opting for a quiet night by herself. That plan changes when a certain Hybrid Ken shows up at her door.


One night. That had been all she wanted, one last night with her best friends and then they could go back to trying to kill someone, or not die, or avoid whatever baddie was ruining their lives. Except her dress had been stolen from the tailors, Silas had attacked Bonnie, Rebekah and Elena had teamed up for some asinine reason. Prom had been a bust, perhaps it was the supernatural or maybe it was just Mystic Falls. The underlying tension that had existed unsaid and buried, before the supernatural shit happened. Either way Caroline was over it. The constant drama was more than she wanted to deal with.

She'd meant it though, what she'd said to Stefan about how someone moved on from a broken heart. She was doing it right now, the moving on. They hadn't broken up, they hadn't even had a chance to talk about it. He'd just left, again. If Caroline was honest then she would say that it was the only consistent thing about their relationship. Except she was finding that absence of the soul didn't make the heart grow fonder. She'd left after the prom king and queen announcements not sticking around to get roped into any other drama that might have happened. She leaned back in her car, tired and lonely.

Tonight, was the night that she was supposed to spend time with the people who she loved and who loved her. She was supposed to have fun, dance, drink some spiked punch, and just relax. Pulling her keys from the ignition, she pulled her phone from her clutch. Scrolling through her contacts she found the group chat with her friends and opened it. While it didn't matter what with evil Elena and her mind-controlled brothers, an exhausted Bonnie, unresponsive Matt, she didn't want to host a post-prom party anymore.

Once the text was sent, she glanced up at the sky, it was clear and cold the stars millions of miles away twinkling down at her. Shaking her head, she walked up the steps towards her porch, pulling the keys from her clutch as she went. The sudden loss of bird calls and the unnatural silence surrounding her. Tightening her hold on the keys in her hand she refused to turn around and look at him. It had to be him.

"Go away Klaus. Don't you have orphans to chase, sisters to torture, and doppelgangers to coerce or some other evil villain act to do?" she said as she slipped the key into the lock turning it once.

"Prom not what you hoped for love?" it was soft, his tone the accent breaking the silence as she felt him shift back on his heels behind her.

"Well nothing ever goes to plan anymore, not since you lot, and your supernatural shit stormed through," she hissed back her anger getting the better of her.

"Come now darling, I wasn't even in town when you were turned," he said stepping closer and Caroline held up her hand. Klaus stopped his hands in his pockets.

"Still you didn't help the matters," it wasn't an accusation it was a fact and her words hung heavy between them.

"Regardless Caroline, I'm glad you liked the dress. It fits you better than it did the original owner, if I may, you put Princess Grace to shame. Your beauty transcends hers." he said stepping closer though being respectful enough to leave a good foot or two between them. Caroline's shoulders sagged, and she let out a breath. She turned and looked at him her eyes honest and her back against the door.

"I'm going to regret this in the morning, but Klaus would you like to come in?" she asked her voice barely a whisper, but she knew that he would hear her, supernatural hearing or not.

"If you insist love," he said stepping closer as she walked backwards into her front hall. Klaus followed her into her home, closing the door behind him and locking it. Caroline gestured towards the living room as she placed her clutch on the hallway table. Flashing into the kitchen she pulled a blood bag from the fridge squeezing it into a mug. She heard the soft tones of the antique record player, her grandfather had left her mother along with the house, creak to life. The gentle strums of instrumental music filling the house and the silence between them. As she sipped her blood in a mug she moved towards the hybrid standing in her living room. He was snooping, his back to her as he stared intently at all the framed photos of her life that filled her home.

"Why are you here Klaus," she asked softly setting the half empty mug down on the end table and crossing her arms, feeling far too vulnerable with him in her home.

"I wanted to apologize, I knew how important this night was to you and I played a part in ruining it for you," he said softly setting down a frame to turn to her.

"Well, thank you for the apology. I know how hard those are for you," she said taking a deep breath trying to steady the nerves that were thrumming through her. Klaus smirked and shook his head letting her make a jab at him. It was a small price to pay to be in her presence.

"I assume that you had plans with a certain little wolf tonight?" he asked stepping closer his eyes searching her face.

"Nope, and if I did I wouldn't tell you," she whispered her calm fading to anger at his insinuation.

Picking up her mug she downed the blood and as she pulled it away from her lips she gasped. He'd gotten so much closer to her in the span of a few microseconds. As she held the mug between them she held still as he gently wiped a drop of blood of her chin and sucked it off his thumb.

"I should have known you were a AB- type of girl, a rare blood for a rare girl," he murmured winking at her before taking a step back out of her personal space.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a creep sometimes," she shot back her cheeks flushing even though she was to be angry at him. Groaning she walked around him towards the hallway. "I'm going to change out of this gorgeous dress, so you can return it to your creepy vault of treasures."

Klaus blinked and reached out to gently take her hand before she was out of reach. "Before you change, may I have a dance?"

Caroline blinked and looked from where his hand was lightly holding hers, no pressure just there, to his eyes which were wide and vulnerable. "Only one and then you must go," she murmured biting her lip.

Of course, he was a bloody brilliant dancer, he'd proven this two years before at his mother's murder gala. Caroline didn't want to admit it, but she was enjoying dancing with him more than she'd enjoyed any dance earlier that night. As he moved around the room with her in his arms and the music enveloped them in the stillness of her home. Caroline found herself leaning her head against his shoulder as they moved in circles.

Klaus for his credit just relaxed enjoying the way that she slowly relaxed into his arms as they moved around the room. She was stunning, it had taken all his efforts not to appear in the middle of the prom floor and ask her to dance there. He was aware that would have made her night even more trying and horrible. He was content though to dance with her alone in the quiet of her home. As the record player ended he felt her tense slightly and stepped away.

"Thank you for the dance Caroline, it was everything I hoped for and more," he said withdrawing into himself. Caroline tightened the hold on his hand and looked up at him her eyes searching and questioning.

"Klaus can I ask a question?" her voice was soft and wary, as though she didn't trust herself to ask it or him to be truthful.

"You can ask me anything?" he said softly the feel of her hand in his cracking the ice around his heart.

"Why haven't you actually looked-for Tyler?" the question hung in the air between them and Klaus pulled away his walls going up and he glared at her.

"It always comes back to him doesn't it," he snarled stalking towards the door, ripping his hand from hers. Turning back to her a hurtful answer on his lips, but the look of shock and hurt on her face cut through his sudden anger. Was it possible that she had a different reason for asking this question. "Because, I believe that if I killed him, any chance I would have with you would be gone for good."

Caroline hadn't expected that answer which was evident from the audible gasp that escaped her lips. She flashed forward and pulled him into a hug. It was like a late Birthday wish was being fulfilled. The year she'd turned, she'd wished for someone who would put her before everything else, and while she now knew that was a childish notion. The fact that he had put his revenge aside because of how it would hurt her made her heart sing. He slowly wrapped his arms around her and looked down at her.

"Thank you for everything you've done for me," she whispered softly before leaning up and placing a light kiss on his cheek.

"You're a rare creature Caroline and I find myself entranced with you," he whispered looking at her.

"Why me?" she asked her voice barely audible looking back into his eyes suddenly realizing just how close they were.

"Because you're loyal, kind, compassionate, and becoming a vampire did nothing to diminish that. In fact, it made it brighter," he said pushing a stray lock behind her ear.

"Would you stay Klaus? I was going to order some Chinese and watch the Thin Man?" she said softly her arms interlocked around his neck.

"You truly want me to stay?" he asked eyebrow raised in shock.

"I would, I want to get to know you, the real you under that anger and rage," she said softly looking at him a twinkle in her eye.

"I would be honored to join you for the night," he said softly leaning down slowly giving her room to back away, when she didn't he pulled her into a kiss gentle and chaste.

"I don't think that dress would be very comfortable for a movie date," he teased once he'd pulled away and Caroline rolled her eyes.

"This isn't a date, though if you wanted to take me on one I wouldn't be opposed," she said leaning up to kiss him quickly before flashing upstairs and changing. Tonight was starting to look up after all.


End file.
